Daughters of the Celestial Night
by Dannyyob
Summary: In a single night two of Fairy Tails' members vanish without a trace. As the Guild frantacally searches for clues to their whereabouts revelations will be made, secrets uncovered and a question will haunt them all: Just who were they, truly? B/W Spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey there everybody! Thought I'd try my hand at Fairy Tail this time. So you know, this is a partial crossover with another series, but I won't reveal the name of that series until the next chapter. The title is the only hint you'll get, so, bonus points for anybody who can guess what it is. Let me know if it's any good.

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Chp. 1

Fairy Tail was as loud and unruly as ever when a road-worn Lucy staggered through the guilds front doors, followed closely by Natsu and Happy. The three of them had been gone for the past two weeks on a mission that had taken them way up to the northern part of Fiore. In the last month the guild had been having a rather odd dry spell with requests lately, particularly those that were more compatible with Lucy's preference's (I.E. no monsters or bandits or anything remotely dangerous) so she had grudgingly chosen to tag along with Natsu on the mission. A girl did have to eat after all.

Unfortunately, given the despairing fact that between the both of them they were still flat ass broke, they'd been left with no alternative but to walk. For Natsu this was nothing new, and in fact he'd rather blatantly celebrated the idea of not having to endure motion sickness for their latest expedition, but for Lucy this trip had pushed her to the brink of her own survival. The week-long trip just getting there was pure torture to her feet and she'd more than once been forced to rely on Natsu's semi- reliable foraging capabilities to keep from dying a pitiful death by starvation. Those had been ugly days indeed. And as for the mission itself…

Breaking off from the other two as Happy flew up into the rafters where some of the other cats were flying about (After being displaced from Edoras, the Ecksheed had been permitted to take up residence in Magnolia and the Guild until their leaders could obtain an official land grant from the government of Fiore to build their own settlement) while some of the other members called Natsu over, wanting to hear of his latest exploits, Lucy sighed in unconcealed relief as she sank into a seat at the first empty table she found. A few moments later Mira was there, an understanding smile on her face.

"A rough mission?" Mira asked gently. Lucy only nodded mutely, turning her head to stare at the request board. Did she dare hope that there'd be new missions posted that catered to her battered body and weary soul?

"Ah, that's too bad… but at least it was interesting, right?" Mira continued, trying to be optimistic. When Lucy merely groaned Mira decided to let that topic rest and changed tactics. "So. What can I get you? Something to drink perhaps?"

Lucy gave Mira a doleful look before replying. "That depends. Are you fronting the cash for it, because if not then just give me a glass of water. Those are still free, right?"

"Or-"a cheery voice suddenly piped up behind her, "-how about you let me buy you a meal this time."

As the person spoke Lucy felt a finger trail across the nape of her neck and shivered as she felt more through that simple touch than just the intimate contact of skin on skin. Power, both phenomenal and exquisite. She could sense it, flowering across her skin, _beneath_ her skin, a strangeness chained within the others blood that sent lightning sparks of recognition coursing through her own. Even as she turned within her seat Lucy already knew who was behind her. A smile broke across her face as she gazed up at her friend Levi who grinned back at her as she sidled into the seat next to her.

Mira was completely unaware that anything had transpired between the two.

Of course. How could anyone understand the secret they shared?

"I think I'll take you up on that offer." Lucy replied, accepting a menu from Mira. "But be warned- I'm not cheap."

"Wait! What about me!" Happy suddenly cried out above them and all three women looked up to see the Blue feline gliding towards them from the ceiling. He landed on the wooden table and immediately turned big hopeful eyes up at Levi. "Can I have a fish?"

Lucy was going to scold Happy for his lack of manners but Levi waved it off, laughing, and soon enough Happy was gnawing away at his fish while the girls each enjoyed a juicy steak dinner with mashed potatoes and sliced mushroom gravy with a couple of cold wine coolers to wash it down. After serving them Mira went back to the bar to tend to the other costumers. The first bite Lucy took was pure, absolute heaven and she swore that she would stab the first person who dared try to take it from her. As she sat savoring her first real meal in fourteen days she listened to Levi talk and learned that she and her team had just returned back from their own mission.

"So-"Levi began after both girls had eaten at least half their meals, lightly swirling the bright red fluid around in her bottle before taking another quick swig. "- how 'bout you tell me what happened on your mission and I'll spill the dirty details that went down with mine.

"Ah, now I see," Lucy mused setting her own bottle down. "You butter me up with a good warm meal so I'm more compliant and willing to tell you my sob story, but if I still refuse you threaten to withhold all payment, is that right?

"Well, it works doesn't it? So come on, tell me what happened!"

Lucy chuckled before sighing as she leaned back in her seat and recalled her memories of the last two weeks.

"It was $100,000 jewel request that took us way up near the mountain region beyond Hakobe, up near Oak town. No money. No food. And Natsu." Levi snorted in her drink but waved her hand for Lucy to go on. "It was supposed to have been a mission involving the location and removal of a mysterious creature that had been attacking loggers in the mountain community that lives there. I figured the mission would be simple since Natsu was there. Well, you know how he is."

Levi grinned. "I think I do."

"Exactly. So. Cue Natsu's destructive tendencies, coupled with a Ridiculously Gigantic land traveling man-eating Catfish, add in an endless stream of screams of unholy terror courtesy of moi as both of us _rode_ said Ridiculously Gigantic land traveling man-eating Catfish down a mountain and straight through the village community, then have the community blame us for all the destruction wrought on their homes and Simple's been shot dead and kicked under the rug."

"I didn't even get to try the fish." Happy moaned, giving out a very unhappy sigh.

"Is that all you were concerned about?" Lucy shrieked, looking down at the cat. "We had to run away and leave the money behind before the local authorities nabbed us! And even after we got away it was still a week back here traveling by foot! Have you already forgotten the mushroom incident?"

"Oh yeah… That was funny!" Happy smiled before turning back to his fish. Throughout the telling Levi had been trembling with the effort not to laugh out loud but Happy's last remark broke her restraint and soon she was left cackling like a mad woman.

"Schadenfreude!" Lucy hissed, biting her own lip to try and keep herself from laughing. Levi eventually managed to get herself back under control, her color returning to normal instead of the bright red it had been when she couldn't draw in enough air because of all the laughter.

"Well now" she said, wiping at the corners of her eyes "I can't say there were any man-eating catfish involved where me and the boys went, but there _was_ fish. All we had to do was safeguard a cattle drive on its way to Hargeon. It was a fairly easy task for a whopping thirty grand a piece. Except for a small skirmish with a few bandits on the first day, we didn't have any problems getting the cattle to port. Oh no, the real trouble came on the first night on the way back as we settled down to camp. I guess some of the herders had been talking to Jet and Droy along the way and at one point our… _relationship_ with one another was brought up."

'_Ah_', Lucy thought, understanding at once. Levi had told Lucy once that she, Jet and Droy had known one another ever since they were children. Some time before they'd all joined Fairy Tail, the both of them had come up to her and confessed their feelings wherein she had promptly rejected them. It made Lucy feel rather petty, actually, because if it had been her in either of the boys places she was sure she wouldn't have wanted anything to do with the other person. The fact that team Shadow Gear were all still together, despite that particular moment in their past, seemed absolutely remarkable to her.

In all honesty, she also felt a bit jealous.

Hearing a chorus of laughter on the other side of the room Lucy turned her head slightly to the side to see Natsu running around on top of one of the tables. He suddenly stopped and, clapping his hands to his face, let out a thin girly scream. The entire table roared with laughter as he begged in an unflattering imitation of her for the giant catfish to spare her because she wasn't all that appetizing. Lucy grimaced before turning back to Levi.

Okay, so maybe she wasn't so jealous. Nope. Not at all. Not with _Natsu_ anyway.

Not that any of it would have mattered, she thought. Women like them… well, they weren't exactly the agreeable choice when it came to relations with the opposite sex. Levi had known this, which is why she'd never allowed anything to develop between her and the rest of her team. It would have only complicated things.

That's just the way it was.

But those thoughts had no place in the here and now. With a shudder Lucy quickly reined them in as Levi continued her tale.

"So anyways, after getting them to their destination they paid us the money and as a little extra something some of the guys gave us some fresh fish to take back with us. They conveniently forgot to mention however that they were a special breed of carp imported from the south eastern sea. You've heard about Koi, right? These fish were basically the same thing with rainbow tie dye colored bodies with little white dots on their sides. As they grow older the dots gradually shift into the shape of hearts, with one heart equaling about one year of life. That's pretty much the main reason why they're commonly referred to as 'love' fish or 'Ai'… but its' not the only reason. I was washing up at a nearby stream when those two decided to start making dinner. If the fish are prepared right then you don't have to worry about the side effects but if you just cook them over an open fire or eat them raw, well…"

"Well?" Lucy pushed, burning with curiosity.

"…it makes you horny as hell!" Levi burst out, teeth flashing as her smile widened. "Which Jet and Droy, unfortunately, didn't find out until _after_ they'd gone and sampled them. I came back to find the two of them about to snog one another and for a second I was caught between stepping in to save them and just letting them continue while I took pictures!"

"And?" Lucy practically begged, her own face twisting up into an excited smile.

"Well, they certainly weren't camera shy." At this both girls started crowing with laughter, causing other people in the room to turn their heads and wonder what was so funny.

They were still laughing when Mira walked up to them holding something in her hands.

"Oh, hey Mira. Are we being too loud?" Lucy asked, still grinning like an idiot.

"Oh no, not at all. Actually, I just remembered that when the mail arrived a few days ago there was something there for you. Both of you." She said, holding out a letter in each hand. Right away, Lucy noticed that there was no return address. As both she and Levi reached for them she was wondering who had sent them and what they could possibly be about when her hand touched the envelope.

And in that moment everything changed.

'_**Daughters…**_'

Lucy froze as she heard a voice sound within her head. It was a woman's voice, painfully lovely she thought, but with harmonies no human could ever possibly carry so it seemed as if rather than one there were many voices, all speaking to her at once. But it did more than speak. The voice was a presence in itself that washed over her, filling her mind with disjointed images, the sounds of music, a particular scent, smothering her with the power of itself so that for a brief second the world spun madly out of control… before suddenly leaving her as quickly as it had come. The voice vanished so abruptly that in its place within her mind she suddenly felt hollowed out, emptier then she'd ever been before.

Out of the corner of her eye, from the way she saw Levi stiffen next to her Lucy knew she'd heard it as well.

"Lucy? Levi?"

Lucy's eyes snapped up to Mira's face, realizing with shock that she'd still been standing there, right in front of them. She'd seen both of them react.

And by the alarm growing in her eyes she knew, somehow, that something was wrong.

Happy had paused in eating his fish and was watching them too, wondering what was going on.

Shit. How were they going to explain this?

"Lucy, Levi, what-"

But before Mira could say another word, before she could ask any questions that would be impossible to answer, a chair went flying over their heads and crashed somewhere behind the bar.

As Mira and Happy whipped their heads around to see where the chair had come from Lucy saw their chance. Jumping up from the table she grabbed Levi and in an instant the two of them were sprinting for the doors and then flying down the streets. They ran and they ran, neither of them stopping, neither of them letting up until they were pounding up the stairs to Lucy's apartment and crashing through her front door. Slamming the door behind her, Lucy immediately turned the lock and then set about latching up all the shutters on the windows and drawing the blinds, barricading her home against any intrusion from the outside world.

As long as nobody from the guild showed up unexpectedly, that might even stand true.

Finishing up her task Lucy stalked out of her bedroom to find Levi standing in the middle of her apartment, staring at the letter still clutched in her hand. Only then did Lucy realize she still had a death grip on hers. There was a moments silence before she let out a long drawn out breathe.

"Well-"she began shakily and then stopped, as if not knowing what else to say. But then, what could she say? Lucy looked down at the envelope in her hand. This letter- if you could even truly call it that- wasn't the first one she'd ever received. In the past she'd received two others just like it, had heard that achingly beautiful voice call out to her, embrace her in its all encompassing way.

The first time she'd gotten one she'd been a little girl at the tender age of five, back when her mother was still alive. Her mother had helped her through that first frightening experience of hearing a voice inside your head, a voice too beautiful to be anything but terrifying, convincing her that there was nothing to be afraid of and showing her what to do next. The second time she'd received such a letter had been after her mother had passed away, leaving her to carry out the process alone. She'd been little better prepared for what had happened as she had the first time.

Lucy paused at this thought and then looked over at Levi. All the women like them at the age of five usually received such letters, with their mothers or aunts coaxing them through the ritual. At least that's what her mother had told her. That Levi was a member of their hidden society was unquestionable. Since the first day they'd met, Lucy had known that they were both children of the same blood. It had proved an unexpectedly joyous discovery. But… what if Levi didn't know? They had talked about many things in their time together but the subject about family had never willingly been brought up. As if mentioning it aloud were somehow taboo (which in a small sense it kind of was, but...). What if her mother hadn't explained it to her, or rather, hadn't the opportunity…

Levi turned her head and her eyes met Lucy's worried gaze. She nodded and Lucy felt relief flood her body. They both knew what they had to do.

As one they turned to the furnace. Lucy swiftly gathered the materials she needed from an open basket lying beside it and quickly made a small nest of tinder and kindling, accepting a lighter from Levi as she offered it to her. They couldn't use magic to light the flame. Any other magic would only interfere with what they were about to do. When Lucy had a small fire started she moved back to stand next to Levi, where the two of them stood and watched silently as the fire grew, building itself up. When the fire was large enough they looked at one another, nodded, and then took a breath.

"We are the Daughters of Ren," they said together, "Children of the Sky, Children to the Second Earth, Descendants of the Nine, and Inheritors of the Old Blood. The Old Blood must never die."

Light tingles of energy pulsed through her fingers from the envelope in her hand and Lucy knew the time had come.

"Trivia…" Lucy whispered as she cast the envelope into the fire at the same time Levi cast hers, whispering "Metis…"

A moment later the fire exploded from the furnace, making the both of them stumble back a pace as it swirled past and all around them, warm but not burning like a true fire would, curving around the room until they stood within a dazzling whirlpool of twisting leaping light that changed from a yellowish orange to a piercing bluish white. Lucy shut her eyes against the blinding glare, ignoring the pull from the currents of the passing flame as it tugged at her clothes and whipped her hair about, waiting for the spell to finish setting up its wards.

A few more seconds passed before Lucy felt the current shift back towards the furnace. She braced herself as the flames went hurdling past her, drawing all the light with it until Lucy sensed through her closed eyelids that only a single source of glowing light remained, emanating from a spot directly before her. Slowly, carefully, she opened her eyes.

And there in front of her, outlined in a ghostly white light, stood two other women gazing straight back at them.

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A/N: alright, I got the second chapter in the works but after that… well, you all gotta let me know whether or not I should even bother. Chow for now.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Alright, here it is! To be honest I felt a little off with this chapter, like I wasn't making it really flow like I could have. But then I've never really been naturally good with conveying heavy emotions with the written word, so, I guess it's up to you all to decide just how well I faired. The song I was listening to as I wrote this chapter out was OneRepublic's 'Say (All I Need)'.

As for my readers who commented:

AzNx: First off, Thank you for being the first to review my story! And as for their relationship, right now they're more friends than anything else. As for anything deeper, well, we'll just have to see where I go with that.

xXNamelessAngelXx: And I hope you stay curious. Hopefully I'll be able to keep it steady with the chapters on this story.

SaturnWolf3: I'm glad you do!

Shana: Thank you!

Kaze-chan: Thank you for the compliment!

DarkFlameLee: There will be, I just haven't decided which ones it will be yet.

Also, one more thing, the name of the series and author I based this story off of is down at the bottom. I'm kind of forced to really, since besides some terminology I used a couple quotes in this chapter that I thought were too good to pass up.

Disclaimor: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima. The story and additional characters i toss in on the other hand are all mine.

Enjoy!

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Chp.2

As the sun set beyond the horizon the creeping shroud of darkness that trailed after it was made all the more absolute this night as brooding rain clouds, threatening an imminent release, rolled about the heavens, blocking out the moon and stars. The streets of Magnolia were virtually empty, the few nondescript individuals still roaming them quickening their pace home as the winds started to pick up. One by one, as the hour grew late, the lights shining from the people's houses winked out of existence until virtually only the streetlights held off the all consuming shadows.

Trotting down the streets with Happy weaving through the air above him a certain pink haired Fire-User complained irritably up to his companion.

"I can't believe the old man actually made me stay out this late to patch up the guild." He said huffily. "I mean sure the place got pretty trashed and all but still, I wasn't the only one who was fighting, yet the Master singled me out! I mean come on! Gray's the one that started it!"

"But Natsu, you were the one who started lobbing icy fire balls all over the place." Happy reminded him, remembering how the simple fist fight that had started out between him and the Ice Maker had escalated into an all out brawl involving just about everybody there. Such fights within the guild weren't uncommon; heck, sometimes they were practically even welcomed when things started getting a little boring. But when Gray used his magic to incase most of Natsu's body in a shell of ice, effectively stopping him in his tracks, his fiery friend had instantly turned up the heat until he literally exploded, throwing out chunks of flaming ice that rained down all over the room…

…Smashing into the table where Elfman had been conversing with his recently returned sister, Lisanna…

…hitting Gazille in the back of the head as he was trying once again to convince Panther Lily to be his cat exclusively(seems Lily had been taking on missions with other people _besides_ Gazille)…

…And even knocking the barrel of booze Cana had been holding right out of her hand. That's about the time all hell broke loose

"A minor detail" Natsu replied, shrugging it off. "Point was, I don't see why I was the only one that had to be punished. Some of the other's could have helped at least. Tch! Did you see? Lucy didn't even stick around long enough for me to ask her. Some friend she is," He grumbled.

"Ah, that's not right!" Happy exclaimed, alighting atop Natsu's crown. "I was sitting with Lucy and Levi at the time and right about when you and Gray started arguing Mira walked over and handed each of them a letter. Actually, they started acting pretty funny when they got them." Happy paused as he tried recalling that brief moment before the fight had erupted. It wasn't made any easier considering most of his attention at the time had been taken up by the salted mackerel he'd been relishing. "I don't know why but as soon as they touched them they both suddenly got real quiet. Then after that a chair went flying over our heads and Mira and me turned to see that you guys were fighting again. When we looked back the both of them were bolting out the door."

Natsu had stopped in the middle of the road to listen to Happy's account. When Happy finished his gaze was lingering down another street, following the line of lights that led in a direction different from his original destination.

"A letter, you say…"Said Natsu, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Aye!"

It was all he needed. In a moment Natsu was marching down the cobbled street, his curiosity piqued, as he made his way to Lucy's house. Something was going down and he intended to find out what.

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The only light in the entire apartment came from a single candle set on the living room table which did little to stave off the darkened shadows.

Lucy sat in one of the chairs surrounding the table, arms wrapped tightly around her legs and her knees tucked under her chin. It was quite dark in the room yet her eyes had already adjusted to the weak light. Not that she needed it. Her eyes were trained on the empty pit of her furnace. Although it was impossible to tell in this light, it was barren of ashes; both the kindling and the letters had burned away, cleanly, leaving nothing behind. Not even a single sign or trace of evidence that could prove that the furnace had ever even _seen_ a fire. Nothing that could suggest that things were more than they appeared- that _they_ were more than what they appeared.

Levi had left Lucy's home hours ago.

Of course. Given the enormity of what they'd both been told, of what they were expected to _do_, Levi needed some time to be by herself. To prepare for tonight. For tomorrow…

Her gaze stayed dead centered on the furnace but her mind was sliding back to a moment that had occurred just a few hours ago. The moment when her current life- and the precious future she'd prayed would eventually become her reality, _her forever after_- had been forced spiraling down a path towards an irreparable end.

How could this have happened?

* * *

_For a moment there was silence._

_They didn't move, they didn't speak, they all just stood there looking back at one another, their eyes traveling up and down in quiet assessment. Sisters. The similarities between the two newcomers left no doubt of that… not that __**that**__ fact hadn't already been known. The women in front of her looked to be somewhere in their mid twenties but Lucy knew that for women such as them the perception of their age based upon their outward appearance was deceptive. A yard length of hair sprawled down both of their backs and an abundant amount of skin peeked through what little clothing they seemed to wear; clothing that seemed specifically designed to greatly accentuate their already rather generous figures. It was a style unlike any she'd seen anywhere else in the world. _

_It was difficult for her to pick out any finer details, however. Save for a grayish white the pair had not a speck of color to them. Their bodies were like mist, riddled through with various densities that helped to define the people before them, subtle differences in shade allowing an observer only enough to almost imagine what their true colorings were. And just like mist she could see through them, faintly picking out the outline of her furnace and an ethereal glow from the still burning fire as the flickering light it threw off passed through their transparent forms… as if she were facing ghosts._

_Not that the actual women whom they were looking at were really there, of course. Lucy couldn't quite wrap her mind around the intricacies behind the spell, but what she did understand was that the two before her were a form of astral projection. They were visual manifestations of the women's essence. Shards of their consciousness, capable of communicating the originals intentions and reacting accordingly to whatever questions were put to it. Once the spell was released those shards would instantly return to their respective wholes, taking with them the memories from the encounter. It was as if part of you were having a conversation the rest of you didn't become aware of until after the fact._

_As the seconds ticked by the air itself began to feel heavy with expectation, the tension becoming almost palpable. Whatever the reason, these two were here for something important. It certainly wasn't to talk about the weather. _

_The woman directly across from Lucy, Trivia, suddenly smiled._

"_Hello, my dears. Lovely day we've been having, no?"_

_And in that single instant the air between them seemed to lighten considerably, the tightness Lucy hadn't realized that'd been building up in her body coming almost completely undone as she fought against the sudden urge to laugh. The news must be important, yes, but that didn't mean it was bad. Right?_

"_Honored Metis, Honored Trivia" Levi spoke up, keeping her words strictly respectful, perhaps stiffly so, as she nodded her head to both in turn. "We thank you both for the time and energies you've spent on our behalf's to relay your messages, but- if you may forgive my bluntness, why exactly are we here?"_

_A handful of emotions flashed across the women's faces: a brief flicker of annoyance (due perhaps to Levi's brisk manner of moving the conversation along to get to the point of the matter, pleasantries be damned) which was quickly followed by less comforting expressions such as worry, grief, and regret before giving way at last to a steely determination. Lucy quickly felt her insides tighten up again. Had she hoped too soon?_

"_Very well" the other woman, Metis, spoke out. "If we must cut to the chase then here it is- the Unity in its entirety has been ordered to gather."_

_In the deafening silence following this astounding declaration Lucy turned her dazed eyes over to Levi, who stared back at her, both of them silently questioning the other as to whether they'd heard correctly._

_Turning back to the women Lucy tried to find words. None came. _

_Trivia cut in before they did. "This is __**not**__ a request. It is an __**order**__. Recent revelations have been uncovered that have made this decision… and one other with it… unequivocally necessary."_

"_But… Why?" Lucy finally managed._

_The cool demeanor of Trivia's face suddenly wavered and a look of agonizing grief passed through her eyes, almost making Lucy wish she could take back her question. Almost. Eyeing her ghostly sister quietly for a second, Metis turned her gaze back onto them and answered Lucy's question in three catastrophic words. _

"_We're being hunted."_

* * *

Her body was trembling when she pulled back out of her memories. So much so that Lucy forced herself to take deep steady breaths, trying to center herself and reclaim a state of calm. A calm she no longer truly possessed. Really, all she really wanted to do was curl up into an even tighter ball and cry. Everything- _everything_- was happening way to fast and Lucy was finding herself unable to adapt.

In that single awful meeting the Sisters had told them everything that they knew. A few weeks ago, just days before she and Natsu had departed for their mission, somebody had staged an attack on the descendants of Trivia's Line. Of _Lucy's_ line.

The victims had been Trivia's own daughters. She'd only ever had four of them in her long lifetime and all four of them had been gathered together for a rare reunion when an unknown assailant had struck. In the ensuing battle two of the sisters had died before a decisive blow made by one of the remaining two brought their attacker down. In his final moment before he died the other sister had used telepathic magic to tear through the attackers' mind, his very memories, to scavenge as much information as she could. The need to know why this monster had dared to intrude upon their lives and commit this tragic, devastating act had been all consuming. Fury for her fallen sisters had, understandably, made her search less than gentle. The bastard perished all too quickly but what was salvaged from the fading sparks within the shadowy recesses of his dying mind was a staggering revelation.

Somebody knew about the Unity.

Somebody powerful, wicked, and who would stop at nothing to get their hands on them.

Even, apparently, if that meant killing them off, one at a time.

And that was something Mother could never allow.

As the chosen leader of their Unity, Mother, as she was more commonly referred to amongst all members of their people, had immediately taken action by calling in her entire flock. Theirs was a people who had scattered to every conceivable corner of the globe but by her single command every one of them was expected to extricate themselves from whatever personal or professional entanglements they were in- as quickly if not discretely as possible- and gather at the hidden location the original Mother and the Nine had spent their lifetimes creating for the Unity. But not all were so willing to comply. As with any people, there were some who could never be convinced to leave their lives behind so abruptly or who preferred to fight for what they had rather than retreat. The number of those who would have expressed these sentiments was also encompassed with the rare percentage who simply wanted little to nothing at all to do with the Unity in itself.

That is when the missives were sent out- attached with a Geis.

Mothers' was not a love that tolerated any argument.

At first both she and Levi had been stunned with utter disbelief when they'd learned about this. Then their incredulity had quickly transformed into a blazing fury.

'_This is a dictatorship!_' she remembered crying out.

Trivia had laughed bitterly. '_Of course it is, my dear. Who has time for democracy?_'

The thought that there was something inside her, a foreign power invading her body, waiting to push at her mind and force her to comply with the orders that had been relayed to her caused bile to rise. Lucy nearly gagged as the burning acid flooded her throat and then her mouth, filling it with its bitter taste. She managed to swallow her gorge back down and then spent several moments breathing deep breaths and then knuckling her watery eyes.

Lucy hadn't believed their lives could get any worse. How could they? They were being forced to leave their homes, their friends, abandon Fairy Tail… they were being deprived of any choice they could have had in the matter. Truly, she'd thought, what more could be done that already hadn't?

The Fates must have taken her thoughts as a personal challenge.

As if being told that her life was no longer her own wasn't enough, she… and Levi… and every other girl in the Unity over the age of sixteen had been given one additional order.

Awaken.

Which meant that she'd have to… she'd have to-

A sound from the other room suddenly broke the silence enfolding her apartment, startling Lucy back into the present. She sat frozen in her seat, staring towards the darkened doorway as she waited, her ears straining into the returning silence until she heard it again- a rattling noise coming from the bedroom. Leaping up from the chair she practically glided across the living room as she raced into her room, her footsteps falling so softly they didn't even make a sound. Standing on the threshold she waited, holding her breath, until the rattling came again- from her window. Fingering the keys by her side she quietly crept closer, stopping when she was only a step away from standing almost directly in front of it. On the other side of the shutters she suddenly heard a hiss of frustration.

"Damn it!" she heard a muffled voice, unmistakably familiar, swear on the other side. "I can't get it open. Did she go and change her locks or something?"

As a matter of fact, Lucy had. Given the disturbing fact that Mira had a tendency to hand out keys to her apartment to just about anybody that came a asking, coupled with the irritating habit of some people who refused to use the door, she'd been left with no other option. The shutters were jerked back and forth as the person outside pointlessly attempted to shake them open.

"Grrrr… no choice, I'll just have to-"

Lucy reached up and undoing the latch jerked the window shutter open, which sent a very frustrated Natsu suddenly tumbling into the room. He had only a split second to cry out in surprise before he fell flat on his face.

"Have to what, Mr. Dragoneel?" Lucy said looking crossly down at the shadowy form sprawled across her bedroom floor. The fact that she was referring to him by his surname clearly signified that she was more than just a little ticked off at him.

'_Gods' _she thought irritably_ 'of all the nights he had to act up, why-'_

Lucy's mind came to a halt as she realized the direction her thoughts were headed. As Natsu jumped to his feet she quickly turned away so that her back was to him, not wanting him to see her face. Not that it mattered in this gloom. Still- if he could have seen the look she'd had on it… Moving to the side of her bed Lucy fumbled around in the dark for a bit until she finally managed to locate the lamp sitting on her nightstand. Clicking it on the room was flooded with bright light which blinded her for a second.

Blinking away the pain, Lucy kept her back to him as she asked him what he was doing there.

"Honestly, do you not realize what time it is?" she spoke, trying to keep her voice level. She paused as something else came to her attention. "Where's Happy?"

"Oh, him? He remembered that he had dinner with Charle and a couple of other cats he knows so he took off as we were coming here," Said Natsu, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture, as if it didn't really matter at the moment.

"And you were coming here because…?"

"I heard you got a letter." Natsu declared instantly, cutting straight to the point.

Lucy felt her heart seize up and for a moment she couldn't breathe.

"L-letter?" she barely managed to whisper.

"Don't try to deny It." he said, and beside her she heard the springs in her mattress suddenly creak as he jumped onto her bed. She deliberately kept her eyes focused away from him. "Mira gave you a letter and Happy saw it."

'_Damn it Happy_!' You could never trust a cat to keep its mouth shut.

"So spill it!" He said, turning his attention back to her. "What was it about? Something bad, maybe?"

And then he chuckled. The trepidation she'd felt moments ago when Natsu had first asked about the letter drained away with the blood in her face. Lucy couldn't believe it.

'_So the reason you were attempting to break into my house was because- what? You just felt like sticking your nose into my business? To pry into my affairs so you could satisfy your own curiosity? Was that all?'_ It was irrational, she knew, but for that single instant Lucy felt as if she'd been slapped in the face. From here, her thoughts turned more critical. _'Did you even once think about me or what I was going through? If it wasn't interesting, would you have even cared? You- you…!'_

In all fairness Natsu couldn't know that he'd intruded on what was possibly the most hellish episode of her life- he just simply couldn't- and yet she didn't care. As negative thoughts continued to swirl about her mind the hollowness she'd felt vanished as a burning heat suddenly swelled up within her.

"None of your damn business!" She snapped angrily, savagely, the intensity of her feelings making her words bitingly sharp.

For a moment, the silence seemed impossibly loud. There was an awkward pause before Lucy's face suddenly flushed with shame as she realized she'd let her emotions get away from her. She was being unreasonable. His brass behavior notwithstanding, Natsu didn't deserve to have her bite his head off. Well, no, he _did_ deserve it but…not like that. Not for this.

She just… Gods, Lucy wasn't even entirely sure what she wanted-

-Except for him to go. Her body was already beginning to tremble with the effort to keep herself together and she wished that, just this once, Natsu would just pick up on the vibes she was giving off and just leave.

But Natsu persisted in remaining tactlessly oblivious.

"C'mon, tell me!" He whined, breaking the unusual silence (where the heck had it even come from?), sitting up cross legged on her bed. Why was she being so difficult? Hands on his ankles he started rocking back and forth, making disgruntled faces at her and acting altogether like a petulant child. "I'm not leaving until you do!"

The last of her restraint snapped like a twig and without it Lucy's frustration came surging back with as little warning as the first time. Whirling around, she started screaming at him.

"God Damn it Natsu, why can't you just-"the rest of Lucy's words caught in her throat as their eyes locked on to one another- and felt a jolt deep in her gut as the Geas shifted into full awareness. Her breathing hitched as she felt a tightness form within her body at the same time an odd tickling sensation ran across- no, _beneath_ her skin, causing the hairs on top to prickle. Her head throbbed and something, a dull weight, pressed behind her eyes making the world swim temporarily as her vision blurred.

For a timeless second she stood there, overcome with incomprehension. Then the pieces fell into place and Lucy's eyes widened with horror. With a small gasp she tore her eyes from Natsus' and turned away, panic coursing through her body, and rushed to the far side of the room, putting as much distance as she could between them.

'_No! No! Not him!_'

Natsu sat on the bed staring at Lucy's back in opened mouth shock. He'd been expecting the anger- in fact he'd been betting on it, assuming that, if she didn't immediately kick him out, he'd eventually be able to wheedle the truth out of her sooner or later- but the look she'd given after, the unconcealed terror falling upon her face before she'd turned away… that had blown him away. All the amusement within him died. Something was seriously wrong. Quickly sliding off the bed he stumbled up behind her. He reached out to touch her but then let his hand fall back as he thought better about doing it.

'Lucy?" he said her name nervously. "Hey Luce, what's the matter?'

She stayed silent.

"Luce, c'mon" he pleaded, "We're Nakama, aren't we? You can tell me what's wrong."

A pain lanced through her heart as she heard those words. Her lip trembled.

'Do you mean that? Truly?' she asked, her voice nearly breaking on the last word.

"Of course I do! We're still members of Fairy Tail, aren't we?" Natsu couldn't believe it. '_Why is she even asking about something that has such an obvious answer? How could she not know? Huh. It looks like I have no choice but to set her straight once and for all_.' "Listen here Luce, even when we fight one another, we're all still a part of the same guild, and the guild looks out for its own. Do you understand? We're not just a group of people who occasionally pair up to take on missions. Everybody there's a friend. _We're_ friends." He said, stressing that last we're to make his point absolutely clear to her. "So no matter what happens, no matter what trouble you land yourself into, you can always count on me to be there for you. I promise."

Lucy didn't realize she'd started crying until she felt the first tear run down her cheek. Choking back a sob she hastily wiped it away. In that moment, despite anything else, she knew what she had to do. She willed herself to turn back around. And as she did she saw his mouth lift into a grin, that rare grin of his, which lit up his face from the inside. It was the kind of smile that drew people in and made them respond in kind. She'd seen it herself. She'd _done_ it herself. It was a smile unmarred by deception. It was a beacon of light in an otherwise dark and empty world, an expression that, hard as it was to believe, brought with it the promise of hope and possibility to even the most confused souls. And that was no lie. In her mind, she thought, it was a truly beautiful thing.

And she was going to destroy it.

'Natsu…" She spoke his name quietly as she drank in the purity of that smile one last time. Closing her eyes she delved into herself, reaching down with her mind for the tightness that had formed within her, a quivering bundle of raw power that was the geas itself. She touched it. Power exploded throughout her, a greater portion channeling upwards into the weight behind her eyes. Within the flow came a stream of knowledge- the words for the spell she needed. She read them off silently in her head, stringing the words together and feeling the power build up and reform itself behind her eyes until stopping just one word short of completing it.

"…Thank you." She whispered, her voice laced with regret.

And then she opened her eyes, stared straight into Natsu's heart achingly innocent expression, uttered the final word and unleashed the power from her eyes.

* * *

A/N: wow. Even I was surprised with how I decided to pull off the ending here. The inspiration for this story comes from Katherine Forrest's 'Daughters of a Coral Dawn' Series. The series reads more like a journal from the perspective of several key characters, and truthfully probably isn't the greatest read out there. Greatest in its exclusive genre, perhaps, but definitely not for everybody. Unless you're a major Feminist whose ok with a story containing futuristic Lesbians venturing into outer space and where men are portrayed as dirty condescending pigs, the lowest scum of the planet, I'd suggest looking elsewhere. In all honesty, if I hadn't been determined to try new things when I'd come across this, I may have never given it a second look.

Tell me what you think and TaTa for now.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry for the wait guys. Between life and being just plain lazy I also kinda got right wordy with this chapter. I also ended up rewriting a lot of parts and removing whole sections for later use.(hopefully that means the upcoming chapters will appear much sooner) I hope the quality will be decent enough for you to forgive for making you wait nearly three months for an update…(feels the glares of accusation mingled with killing intent like a sucker punch to the gut) Oof! Ah hell, who am I kidding; you guys are gonna burn me at the stake, aren't you?

For all my adoring fans who commented, thank you for taking an interest in my story! I deeply apologize for making all of you wait, some of you much more than others, and I sincerely hope you're all still reading. To answer some questions or concerns, No, Natsu is not dead, because I could never do that to him! What happened to him and what exactly Lucy did will have to wait until the next couple chapters come out (I have to keep you all interested somehow, Don't I?) There will be pairings, I assure you, but what those will be you'll just have to wait to find out. Be warned that there will be OC's in the story and they _will_ demand love and attention.

As a warning note to all my readers, given the recent revelations in the manga and how they conflict with the original plans I had with this story, I'm going to wait and see how the next few chapters play out before I even consider posting another chapter.

Disclaimor: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima. The story and additional characters i toss in on the other hand are all mine.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chp. 3

Sometime into the night the sky opened up, a thunderstorm booming loudly overhead as it released a torrent of rain that poured over Magnolia. A strong wind tore through the streets driving the heavy rain to splatter harshly against rooftops and rattling window shutters as it howled past. Lightening crackled across the sky, leaping from cloud to cloud, the brief flashes of light illuminating the stark contours of the world above and below as they drove away the shadows. It was a tempest without bounds; a Maiden Fury unleashing its unsullied wrath. Without a doubt it was one of the biggest squalls to hit Magnolia in a long, long time.

More than one person was awakened during its performance, magnificent as it was, and left to wonder: was it natural, or was something magical at work? Was it truly just one of those once in awhile buildups that occurred infrequently enough or had, say, a flock of Harpies perhaps thrown themselves into a fledgling storm and in building it up gotten caught up in an exquisite act of resplendent rapture? Such things, embarrassingly, did happen from time to time. (Not that there were likely to be many complaints voiced by any from the _male_ gender) Well, whether that or something else was truly the case, the storm nevertheless raged long throughout the night and gave not the slightest hint of letting up anytime soon. Indeed, it wasn't until a rosy blush slowly began to appear on the distant horizon, signaling the steady approach of dawn, that it truly began to settle down.

And it was within that narrow window of predawn, when most of the inhabitants were still abed or just waking up, that they made their move.

Nobody was up and about to witness as two figures, joined hand to hand, navigated their way through town. Draped in heavy cloaks they traveled discreetly under a steady drizzle through the backstreets of Magnolia, moving without stopping until they reached the outskirts of the town. From there it was only a quick dash to the open edge of the nearby woods… woods that, in the absence of revealing daylight, took on a sinister appearance.

The murky depths became positively foreboding as their imaginations populated the darkness with menacing creatures lurking behind every tree, underneath every bush. For a moment they paused, quivering, as if uncertain about taking their next move. Then the moment passed as the both of them suddenly straightened up, squared their shoulders, and made their first hurried steps across the distance. They were about halfway through when a blinding stroke of blue light flashed once more overhead, tearing across the sky. By the time the last rumbling footsteps of the thunderstorm faded away they were long gone.

Enveloped within the darkly embrace of the tangled forest.

* * *

When he awoke all he knew was an unending silent darkness.

As his head cleared however he slowly became more aware of himself, and thereafter an impression of his surroundings. The first thing he realized was that the air was hot and heavy, the surface he was lying on soft and giving. Cracking open his eyes he was immediately blinded by an intense light. Swearing as he covered them with his hand, he shifted around and climbed unsteadily to his feet. Blinking back the pain, until the fuzziness that initially clouded his sight cleared, he removed the hand only to find himself standing within an outcrop of stone, a borderline separating him from the vast expanse of the scorched landscape spread out before him, red and sandy.

Scattered here and about all around him twisted jagged towers of rock, which were also red, jutted out of the ground in tall narrow formations, resembling nothing less than knife-edged stone fingers pointed upwards against the heavens. In the short distance beyond, peered just between the open spaces amid those crooked colonnades and far outside the reach of their longest shadows, a near-endless range of shifting dunes suddenly rose up into existence. They moved at what should've been an impossible pace, as if something (or rather, a lot of something's) traveled just beneath the surface, causing them to slowly rise then fall like waterless tides. Caught in a perpetual state of motion, with nothing but the pillars he stood behind to mark its progress, the terrain directly before him was as tangible as any mirage… one that stretched on for a seeming infinity before eventually disappearing into a haze bordered with a sky colored a fierce metallic blue.

It was a striking sight, one that impressed itself on the small poetic part of his soul.

An immense sea of rusty red sand clashing against a sky so blue it hurt the eyes…

…A garden, not one beholden to the nurturing of short-lived green things but one of timeless tranquility, silently peaceful-

-For all that it was also a Predator, burdened with an insatiable appetite. Yes, that was it. _That_ was what settled at the foremost of his mind as he gazed at the swelling dunes- the image of a Living _Thing_.

Immense, agitated and wanting, it was a Beast, patiently waiting to devour the next unwary soul foolish enough to set foot within its boundaries. It takes without giving back, eroding the world inch by stolen inch, so ravenous in its hunger that within sheer moments even the tracks of anything stupid enough to blunder into its domain is quickly eaten up. The bones of countless victims could lay buried anywhere within it; the only ones granted the privilege of actually witnessing them being the ones fated as its next meal. Turning away from the dunes as they restlessly prowled the perimeter of the impassible barrier, the gentle shush of sand sounding to his ears almost like a low throaty growl, he came face to face with a forest of stony pillars as densely clustered as the dunes were openly bare.

And still just as likely to swallow him whole.

It was from that direction that a breeze blew over him, a wind witheringly hot rather than cool relief, flavoring the air as it went until every breath he drew tasted of dry dust and hot metal. From high above the sun beat down mercilessly on him, seeming somehow smaller yet far fiercer than what he'd known all his life, its heavy light bathing him in a burning, scorching heat. The sheer weight of it bore down on him, as if that little sun was offended by his presence and was determined to crush him into the very ground itself. With a sigh he fell softly to his knees. As he knelt there, taking in the sun's pitiless punishment, something stirred against his leg and when he looked down he saw tiny shiny things flickering all around him. Curious, he leaned down for a closer look, his eyes widening in surprise as he realized what he was seeing.

Little flames ghosting amidst the sand.

Lifting his head back up and tearing his eyes away from the little specters of heat he let his gaze roam once more across the entirety of the arid red wasteland.

This was no ordinary desert.

This was a realm _possessed_ by Fire. An implacably hostile environment; one ruthlessly harsh towards any creature that depended on water for its survival; a devastating land, utterly unforgiving and completely inhospitable for anyone else…

…except him.

Words could barely describe what he was feeling right then. Stretched out before him was a landscape known only in song, a place not present on any map, reached by no ordinary path, where the daily round of life held no meaning. This was a place that existed only within the memories of a distant childhood, a world born of a father's stories and a child's own vivid imagination, a vision plucked from the very dreams it dreamt. For Natsu, this—

—This was Paradise.

As if by the thought itself the desert came alive as a million more little flames burst into existence, covering the ground all around him, transforming it until it looked more than anything else like a luminescent field of fiery colored grass. The 'field' spread and as it touched against the nearest pillar, hungry flames licking against hard stone, whorls of fiery red light suddenly ignited from the base, spiraling slowly upwards to create a complex array of patterns and designs that branched out across the surface of the stone. Before the first pillar has even been completely ornamented with the traveling light the 'field' has reached the next and the process has started again… and again, and again.

He was still standing in awe, dazzled at the light show emerging before him, when a piercing cry came from somewhere behind him.

Whipping his head around in the direction he'd heard it come from he searched until he finally laid eyes on the source. A bird, a raptor the size of a dog with feathers as white as the hottest flame, was perched atop one of the pillars at the very edge. The sunlight struck harshly off the smooth curve of its wickedly sharp-edged beak as it cocked its head to the side, staring down at him with eyes that glowed like molten gold. It considers him for but a moment before it unfurls its massive wings, flapping them once, twice, and then launching itself into the air and hurtling toward the earth. Before it can crash into a bloody pulp on the ground it pulls up, its sleek body skimming just inches off the ground— as it shoots straight towards him!

Natsu's given only a split second to dive out of its way, tumbling to the ground as the bird wings past him, screaming a cry of challenge, a single flap of its wings sending a shower of sparks right into his face as it fights to keep itself aloft. Lowering its head the bird opened its beak and scooped up a mouthful of the little ground flames before it beat it wings harder, rising further away from the ground as it flew deeper into the stone forest. Natsu stared after the bird as it twisted to and fro between the towers, his breath coming short, his heart racing with adrenaline.

Without another thought he's on his feet and running after the bird, his longs legs eating up the ground as he races after the ornery thing.

He soon finds himself laughing as his prey decides to play with him- swerving here then there, moving in and out of sight, letting him get close enough that he might actually stretch a hand out and touch it before rocketing up out of reach, suddenly doubling back on him so that he ends up slipping on the sand as he tries to correct his course, tripping all over himself when he fails- and so on and so on, leading him on a merry chase through the sandy terrain. And as he runs he gradually realizes that he and the bird are not alone in this deceptively empty world. A shadow here, a glimmer there, the sudden movement as something scurries behind the rocks over there- little things that he only just catches at the corner of his eyes. But they're there. Glimpses of the life thriving within this fire touched land. Later, he decides, he'll investigate this world more thoroughly… after, of course, he's triumphed in this game of cat and mouse.

As the bird swooped down to snatch up another mouthful of flames Natsu reached down and did the same, the heated substance sliding smoothly down his throat, spicy yet sweet. A moment later, in a reaction so fierce it almost rocked him off his feet, a surge of energy blasted throughout his entire body, shooting down all his limbs, leaving his fingers and toes with a tingling sensation. His feet immediately felt lighter and his speed picked up considerably as he trailed behind in the bird's invisible wake. Following this experience it suddenly struck him that this chase might _never_ end because neither he nor his game would ever tire. At least, not so long as there remained an everlasting source of self-sustaining fire to revitalize the both of them. But he wouldn't give up. Not until he'd finally caught his quarry. Seeing the bird rise up from the ground once again drew forth another burst of speed and the hunt continued. But a plan was already forming within his mind.

When the bird came down again Natsu put it into motion. Drawing up all his energy he ploughs across the space between him and the bird, coming up right behind it until it notices him and with a startled squawk shoots back up into the sky. Grinning as he tracks its ascent with his eyes he reaches down and lifts another fistful of flame up to his mouth, sucking them up greedily, refilling his empty reserves. Twice more the bird tries to swoop down and twice more Natsu rushes forth to force it into retreating back into the air. The third time this happens, Natsu sees what he's been waiting for.

The feathered beast has begun to lag. Each flap of its wings is an effort and the strain to stay aloft becomes more and more evident as its flight become increasingly unsteady. Natsu smirks as he slurps down another helping of flame. The next time it descends will be the last-

-which comes right as he finishes the thought!

As it drops down, fiercely beating its wings to throw some distance between them and reach the ground as quickly as it can, Natsu barrels forward rendering the attempt utterly futile as he practically flies across the space. Legs aching, his lungs starting to scream as he struggles to draw in more air, he's only a few scant feet away when he taps into his reserves all at once and explodes from the ground. Pouncing forward, hands outstretched, a laugh bubbles up as he feels his fingers digging into the fiery plumage coating the bird's brilliant body-

-when Night suddenly slams down upon the desert all at once, as if the sun has been snuffed out!

The bird screamed as Natsu crashed into its body, sending them both tumbling to the ground in a messy heap of limbs and feathers. A breath later, just like that, the glowing columns that surrounded him and the field that chuckled beneath died, going out with a startled gasp that seemed to resonate from everywhere all at once. Dazed by the desert's abrupt transformation he barely even notices as the bird he's struggled so hard to capture extricates itself from his grasp and takes off in a flurry of wings. Its white body darts away, vanishing into the surrounding forest, disappearing without a trace. It didn't matter. The air had gone unnaturally still; the ground, once abundantly littered with a dazzling multitude of flames, now laid barrenly empty, the warmth it still held rapidly beginning to fade.

The world was dead.

He is so thoroughly overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of what has just happened- by the seemingly absolute disappearance of fire and light itself- that it takes him a few minutes to realize that the world is not completely lightless. He can still _see_ the landscape around him. As his eyes gradually adjust to the dimmed scenery before him he catches movement on the ground, thin films of not-quite-shadow slithering against a landscape that now flickered with a ghostly golden light. A cursory glance is enough to determine one other thing- the only true shadow in the entire surrounding area is his own, trapped beneath him. Taking a shuddering breath he lifts his head as his eyes are slowly drawn upwards.

For a moment he forgets how to breathe.

There are moments in a person's life when they come across a sight so profoundly beautiful that the words to explain it simply don't exist. Natsu gaped up at the heavens in open-mouth awe as he witnessed, in the weakest terms imaginable, a tapestry of the night sky as he'd never seen it unfold itself right before his eyes. Great sheets and folds of light, curtains of forest green and sunset gold, shimmered into existence within the abysmal black space in-between piercingly white stars. The lights rippled and flowed in a glowing dance, touched by unseen winds, swaying gracefully to and fro above him in a hypnotic rhythm beyond his understanding. With each billowy movement the curtains stretched further and further across the nocturnal sky, reaching out from one end to the other in a luminescent blaze. Each expansion brought with it spider web fissures of lightening that splintered throughout the gleaming banners, snapping and sparking, charging the air to the point where it felt like something was bound to break, until they were literally throbbing with a radiant light.

And Power. There was power up there too; he could feel it. It rolled off the sky in translucent clouds, falling to earth in undulating waves that washed over him, causing the hair on his skin to rise and a shiver to run down his spine. A warning tingle tickled at the back of his mind but he ignored it. Caution was put aside as his curious nature came back into play. Just what was going on? What was this power he felt? There was something peculiar about it… and… something familiar even, but… he just couldn't put his finger on it.

Closing his eyes he opened his mouth as the next wave hit and breathed deeply, letting the flavor of this otherworldly magic spill over his tongue.

_The taste of blackberries and morning light filled the back of his throat, the scent of juniper and a wild freedom teasing his nostrils. A warm wind blows gently across his skin and a whisper of music tickles his ears, chillingly beautiful. Images start flashing inside his head- a million shooting stars against a cloudless black sky; a ballroom brimming with dancing figures; A maelstrom of white fire bursting from a fireplace; an ancient tree with nine distinct branches, sprouting thousands of multihued leaves; a stone angel standing with hands clasped over a grave; An uncaring man, cold as ice, looming overhead; a fairy dancing on the back of someone's hand; Three numbers stringed together: __**777**__; A maelstrom of white fire bursting from a different fireplace; a vast room and the shadowy figure of a man standing in the center, utterly consumed by flames; two ghostly women standing in a familiar room; A silver key with a cylindrical shaft, exquisitely crafted, with a cross carved into both the bow and the rectangular tooth at the other end: the first key of many to come; a woman with blond hair and a smile that seems too sad holding a little girl in her arms… a girl with bright brown eyes and an ecstatic smile as brilliant as any sun…_

Natsu's eyes snap open in shock as he realizes what he's just seen.

He knows whose magic this is.

'Lucy…' he whispers. As if her name were a trigger the sky above suddenly quivered, then flared, exploding into a gold-shattered swirl of stormy light.

The curtains fell.

His mouth opened into a soundless scream as the sky came crashing down to earth with the striking force of a hammer brought down upon an anvil. The world drowned in a thunderous roar of blinding white light. The sheer force of it blew away all conscious thought and as the ground fell away beneath his feet, leaving him to fall, too, the darkness was there to catch him, reclaiming him as its own.

* * *

Gray drummed his fingers on the bar's countertop, the tempo increasing faster and faster as his impatience grew.

He'd already been at the guild for almost an hour and that idiot Natsu _still_ hadn't shown up. How the hell were they suppose to compete to see who could rake in the most cash in a week from completed missions if the moron wasn't there so they could begin? It'd been _his_ idea, after all. The fact that Gray had been up for a good portion of the night before because of the racket from the thunderstorm didn't help his current mood at all.

Nor did it improve anybody else's for that matter. Outside the rain still poured persistently, the constant shushing noise it made as it hit the ground outside the doors coupled with the continuous thud against the roof created a heavier atmosphere that filled the room within, making the overall mood inside the guild more subdued. The energy that usually infused this place and gave Fairy Tail its numerous reputations seemed to have been sapped clean. (For God's sake, there hadn't even been a single bout of name-calling yet, let alone a fight!) The only truly active one in the whole guild might have been, hands down, Vijeeter who was dancing (as always) on one of the tables in a lonely corner by himself. It was emptier than usual, too. It was easily apparent that a lot of people hadn't even shown up yet, preferring to wait it out in their homes until the weather finally broke, while most of those who had shown up had come only out of the necessity for jobs and hadn't lingered long after getting them.

Not even the Master was there at the moment, having had to take off to the Mayor's office for… something. Mira was manning the bar (naturally) while her siblings Elfman and Lisanna were standing over in front of the board with Nab, looking over prospective missions to do together. Juvia- he cast a furtive glance around the room- was sitting at one of the tables with Cana, looking somewhat gloomier today (apparently she was worried that the weather was somehow her fault) while Cana herself was sitting on the table, downing another barrel of booze. At the table across from theirs Macao and Wakaba were regaling Macao's son Romeo, who'd come in with his father today, with a story that seemed suspiciously over-exaggerated detailing one of the missions from their youth. Aside from the more noticeable members there were perhaps overall only a couple more handfuls of people scattered throughout the entire guild (but they didn't bear mentioning as they hadn't yet earned names for themselves).

'_Well, except for…_'

Grays' eyes moved to the other end of the bar where Panther Lily was sitting, the black Exceed sporting as equally a sour mood as Gray himself was, If not more. Lily, after getting in a heated argument with Gajeel over whom he was allowed to go on missions with, had stayed at the guild after the metal head had stormed off. He'd only meant to stay for a couple hours, to give Gajeel time to cool his head. After the storm broke out, however, it was where he remained for the rest of the night, trapped by his own fear. Sipping at his own little mug of whatever he had in it Lily kept his eyes trained on the front entrance, waiting for his partner to show up so they could take off on their own mission. Would he say anything about last night? Probably not. Better just to go on with life and pretend that nothing ever happened… until the next time his partner got stupid, anyways.

The sound of the doors opening made both him and the Cat perk up but then just as quickly settle back down and sigh as they realized it was neither of the dragon slayers. Rather, it was only Jet and Droy, turning their heads this way and that as they entered the room searching (undoubtedly) for Levy.

Gray huffed in frustration, running a hand through his hair. He swore, if Natsu wasn't there in five more minutes he was gonna-

A flash of blue over by the doors caught his attention and he turned his head back towards them. Gray felt a certain kind of relief when he saw Happy flying though them. '_Finally, Maybe now we can actually get somewhere_' he thought, turning his body completely around so he could see salmon head when he came in. '_That fire happy dumbass. I'm serious going to have to heckle him a bit for being so late… or maybe just pound it into that thick head of his._' The thought of getting in a few quick punches on the pink haired idiot brought a grin to his face-

-Which quickly faded as he saw the worried, fretful look on Happy's face.

"Oi, Happy!" Gray called, bringing the Cats attention to him. "What's the matter? And where the heck is Natsu?"

"Gray!" Happy exclaimed, zipping through the air straight towards him. "I can't find him anywhere!"

"Hey Guys", said Droy suddenly, coming up behind Gray with Jet in tow, "Have any of you seen Levy?"

"I'm afraid not." Mira replied, moving towards them from the other end of the bar. "I know she hasn't been here yet, at least. Last time I saw her was yesterday with Lucy, right Happy?"

"Aye!" Happy quickly confirmed before turning towards Jet and Droy. "But what about Natsu? Have you seen him?" The two merely shook their heads no, making Happy slump as he sank onto the countertop.

"Well that's unusual." Mira commented, leaning down to be face level with Happy. "You and Natsu are usually inseparable, and even when you are apart you both know where the other's at. Didn't you both go home together?"

"No." Happy replied, turning to Mira. "Last night I had dinner and spent the night with some older Cats I know. When I got home this morning, Natsu wasn't there. In fact, I don't think he'd been there at all. And when I tried Lucy's I couldn't get in and nobody would answer. I don't know where he is!"

"Lucy's?" Gray asked, the first to break the weighted silence that had fallen as the others took in what the Blue cat had just said. "Why would Natsu have been at Lucy's place?"

"Because that's where he said he was going when I told him about the letter."

"Letter?" Gray repeated questioningly before Mira suddenly straightened up.

"Oh, that's right!" she said, snapping her fingers. "The Letters! Lucy and Levi both had letters waiting for them here at the guild. I gave them to them yesterday, right before you and Natsu started fighting. Actually…" Mira frowned, as she remembered the moment from the day before. "The both of them acted really strange when I handed it to them. I got the feeling that something was wrong… I could see it in their eyes. I tried asking them but then the fight started, and then the next thing I knew, they were both gone."

"Did you see who they were from?" Jet asked, worried about what he was hearing, even as Mira shook her head.

"There wasn't a return address on either one- just their names."

There was a short silence as the group brooded over this tidbit of information before it was interrupted by Lisanna and Elfman as they came walking over from the request board.

"Hey Mira-nee, I think me and Elf are going to do this Job so- what's going on?" Lisanna asked, pausing as she noticed the looks on the others faces.

"Wondering where our teammates have run off to." Lily answered, quickly draining the rest of his mug before setting it back down on the counter. "Which we apparently won't know the answer to unless we go look for them. At any rate, I'm getting sick of just waiting around for that over-possessive moron to show up. Jet, Droy?" the black Cat glanced towards the two. "Levi lives up at the girls' dormitory- Fairy Hills, right? Since it's along the way to my destination, do you care to tag along?"

"Why not?" said Droy, getting a confirmative nod from Jet. "Better than waiting here, I suppose."

"Oh, check with Chico when you get there. She might know something." Lisanna called after them as the trio headed out the door.

"What about me?" Happy asked plaintively, looking up at the others hopefully.

Gray sighed. "I guess I'll go. Lily has the right of it: no point in waiting for somebody who ain't got the decency to show up on time. We'll go start with Lucy's place and go from there, alright Happy?"

"Well then, hurry up Gray!" Happy cried impatiently, already hovering near the door.

"Alright, alright I'm coming." Gray said, getting up from his seat.

"Um, Gray… cloths first." Lisanna said, averting her gaze as Gray looked down and cursed colorfully, suddenly aware of his now cloth-less state. Elfman merely shook his head in disgust, muttering something about how a real man should know how to keep his pants on.

"Oh, wait a second Gray!" Mira said, stopping him from going too far after he'd pulled his pants back on. "You'll need this."

Reaching under the counter Mira pulled up a moment later and tossed something at him. Catching it one-handed Gray opened his fingers to find she'd given him a key, brand new by the looks of it.

"… Lucy changed her locks again?" A confirmative hmm was her response and Gray chuckled as he pocketed the key and ran out the door after Happy. Someday, he'd have to ask Mira how she kept getting her hands on keys to the blonde's apartment.

After a ten minute jog following Happy through the rain he was there, climbing the stairs to Lucy's apartment. When he reached her door the blue Cat landed on his shoulder, fidgeting impatiently, as he lifted a hand and knocked on the door a couple times. Nobody answered. He raised his fist and pounded on it a little harder but when he still didn't get a response he pulled the key out and jiggled it into lock. A second later the door clicked and Gray stepped into the apartment.

"Anybody home?" He called out, shutting the door behind him. Again, he was greeted with silence. The room was cast in a state of semi-darkness, with only a little light shining through the shutters to mildly lighten the room. Fumbling for a second or two he finally located the switch on the wall and with a click managed to turn on the lights. Without a moments' hesitation Happy was off his shoulder and soaring into the next room.

With a shake of his head and a small smile he started across the room. Given the current evidence he seriously doubted anyone was home. Which meant Natsu shouldn't be here either. So then, he thought, where exactly _have_ those two run off to? Are they together? Where should they search next? Lost in contemplation, he was almost to the door when a scream rang out from the bedroom.

"Gray!" Happy cried out, the sheer panic in his voice causing Gray to freeze for one heart stopping moment before he was scrambling the last few steps to reach the door. Stumbling to halt inside the doorway, Gray stood paralyzed as he stared into the room at the sight that greeted his horrified gaze.

"Natsu…"

* * *

A/N: T-t-t-t-that's all folks! I know, I really am just evil that way. XD


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